Metal body structure for automobiles



J. LEDWINKA 1,725,761

METAL BODY STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMOBLLES Filed 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. Mr/vsss-- sEP/l Zeawwmq,

MW-W I Patente'd Aug. 27, 1929. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T EDWARD G.

BUDD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A COB- PORA'IION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METAL BODY STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed August 30, 1924. Serial No. 735,053.

The invention relates generally to metal body structures for automoblles, and more particularly to structures of this class made of pressed sheet metal.

5 It is a main object of the invention to simplify the construction of such bodles to the end that the cost of manufacture may be decreased: to reduce their weight wlthout sacrifice of strength, rigidity and durability, and to generally increase the efliciencypf such bodies. This object and others, which will appear more fully hereinafter, are in the main attained by making the parts entering into the structure of relatively simple thin 16 gauge sheet metal stampings; and in so shaping these stampings that they may be easily, strongly and efliciently 1o1ned; and by so forming portions of the skeleton framework of the body that they serve as substan- 20 tial portions of the outer surface of the body. D

More specifically, the invention com pre bonds the formation of the body slde SlllS, which usually have an upward offset or kick up in the region of the wheel housing to clear the rear axle, in two substan tially rectilinear sections (front and rear) joined at the kick up by an expensive stamping constituting the post D bracket and having its lower edge of a longitudinal extent to form substantially the entire kick up portion of the body. The lower edge of this bracket is flanged inwardly to provide an angle within which the adjacent ends of the sill sections are nested and secured. This bracket and the forward section of the sill are shaped to form substan tial portions of the outside surface of the body, thus eliminating the necessity of providing formed panels to constitute the body shell at these points.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a metallic automobile body constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail, broken view in side elevation showing a reinforcing and supporting bracket for the rear door post of the rear 66 door opening, and the relation of such bracket to the rear end of the forward body sill, the front end of the tonneau panel sill and the tonneau.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views in section on the lines 3, 3, 4, 4, and 5, 5, respectively, of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 4, but with the door post, tonneau panel, and reinforcing and supporting bracket in their assembled relation.

Fig. 6 is a detail view on the line 6, 6, of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 7 designates the tonneau portion of the body, 8 the rear door, 9 the front seat portion, 10 the front door and, 11, the cowl portion of the body. The tonneau portion, 7, is formed with the usual depression, 12, to form a wheel housing. The tonneau section or unit also includes a side body sill member, 13, which, as'shown in Fig. 5, is of metal pressed or otherwise formed into channel section, one of these sill members being, of course, located at each side of the tonneau. The front portion of the body likewise includes a sheet metal stamping or pressing constituting a sill, indicated at 14, which extends forwardly to the front end of the body or at least to the rear portion of the cowl 11 and rearwardly to a point slightly to the rear of the vertical central line of the rear door opening. These sill members, 13, 14, in the completed body structure, are so disposed that they lie in vertically displaced relation with respect to each other. Thus, the sill member, 13, for the tonneau unit occupies a higher plane than the sill member 14 in the -assembled body structure. Each of/ these sill'sections. however, is substantially straight from end to end, therebyavoiding the necessity for forming an irregularly shaped sill structure to include both the sill portion for the forward part of the body and that for the rear or tonneau part of the body. This very greatly simplifies the die operations required for producing these sill members. The adjacent or proximate ends of sills, 13, 14, in the complete body as- I the body, such edge being 10 sembly, are connected together-by means of an interposed bracket, 15, which n the illus trated arrangement shown, is in the form of a stamping or pressing curved or bent at its lower edge, as indicated at 16 m Figs. 1 and 2, to secure the desired elevation of the. tonneau 'sill member 13 with relation to the sill member 14, for the forward end of generally inchned' forwar y and downward y and curved upwardly at the front and downwardly at the rear to form a reverse curve as clearly shown in the drawings, Fig. 2. The side surface of the bracket 15 is de ressedinwardly, as

indicated at '17, to con orm with the wheel housing depression 12 formed in the tonneau stamping 7. The lower edge of the bracket member 15 is turned inwardlyto provide a wide reinforcing flange, as indicated at 18, (see Fig. 5), and the forward end of the tonneau sill section, 13, is fitted into the angle thus formed in the bracket and is suitably secured to the bracket, as indicated at 19 of Fig. 2. The forward edge of the bracket 15 is flanged inwardly, as mdicated at 20, (see Figs. 3, 4 and 4). The door post, 21, at the rear of the rear door opening, is of channel shape and is formed with an edge flange, 22, which is received against and is supported and reinforced by the inturned flange, 20, of the bracket, 15. The forward edge of the bracket 15 as well as the lower end portion of the door post 21, is curved upwardly, and rearwar'dly to'follow the contour of the door opening forthe rear door and to conform to the contour-of the depression, 17, for the wheel housing. As shown in Fig. 3, this curvedforward portion of the bracket is of channel construction thereby providing an exceptionally rigid and strong support for the door post. The upper end portion, 23, of the bracket isof angle section (see Figs. 4 and 4) and projects vertically above the inclined or curved portion of the front edge of said bracket and constitutes a backing for the vertical portion, 24, of the door post as clearly shown in 'Fig. 2. As is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the upper portion of the tonneau panel 7 has an inturned flange 7 which is disposed between the vertical portion 23 of the bracket and the adjacent portion of the door post when the parts are in assembled relation as shown in Fig. 4. In Figs. 2 and 4 in which the tonneau stamping is not in assembled relation with the other parts, it will be noted that the drawings show a gap betweenthe vertical portions of the bracket and door post in which the flange 7' of the tonneau may be received to form the completed structure shown in is above indicated, the sill portions, 14,

for the front portion of the body are in the form .of stampings or pressings and are generally of channel shape in cross section, as indicated in the illustrative form shown in Fig. 6. This stamping at its inner edge is formed with a horizontally disposed edge flange, 25, which constitutes a' support for a floor board, 26. The other edge ofthe sill member, 14, is turnedinwardly, as indicated at 27, at the door opening to form, in effect,

-athreshold strip for such door openin This inturned portion, 27, of the sill terminates in a down-turned flange, 28, which constitutes an abutment against which the edge of the floor board, 26, may. bear. In practice, and in order to conform the sill structure more closely with the adjacent surface at the lower edge of the door indicated at 8, Fig. 3, when the latter is closed, the inwardly turned portion 27 is preferably inclined upwardly and inwardly at its upper surface in that portion thereof which constitutes the threshold strip. The purpose of this inclined threshold strip portion of the sill will be readil understood when itis realized that ordinari y automobile doors do not close square against the side of the body due to the longitudinal curvature of the body and the conformation of the door to the curvature of the body. By reason of the curvature in the door and the method of hinging it so as to secure such conformation or contour with the contour of the body, when the door is closed its lower edge surface is upwardly and inwardly inclined with reference to the horizontal'plane at the lower edge of the door. By similarly inclining upwardly and inwardly the flanged portion, 27, of the sill member, 14, at this point I am enabled to avoidan unsightly opening at the inside of the body'when the door is closed.

In assembling the structure, the bracket, 15, is slipped into place over the forwardly projecting end portions of the sill members, 13,of the tonneau, as above described, and is secured thereto. The rear ends of the sill members, 14, for the forward portion of the body, are slipped into the angles at the lower front edge of the brackets, 15, and likewise secured thereto in any suitable or convenient manner. It will be noted that the forward edge of the wheel housing depression 17 formed in the bracket, curves sharply to the rear at its lower portion, and the inturnedflange 20 at the forward portion of the bracket stops short of the bottom of the same, thereby permitting the rear end of the sill member 14 to freely enter and seat in the angle formed by the body of the bracket and thewide reinforcing flange 18 along its bottom edges. The tonneau panel 7 is now slipped into place with its inturned flange 7 seated against the vertical portion of the flange 20 and secured. The vertical door post members, 21, are applied and secured to the inturned flange, 20, of the bracket, 15, directly, along the curved portion and indirectly through the flange 7 of the tonneau panel, along the vertical portion of said flange 20.

It willbe observed that the exterior su face, 17 of the bracket, 15, also constitutes throughout the portion thereof forward of trative of the principles involved, and that my invention, in its broadest scope, as defined in the claims, is not to be limited or restricted to the exact details of structure and arrangement shown, as manyvariations and changes in such details would readily occur to persons skilled in the art and still fall Within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the claims.

Having now set forth the objects and nature of my invention and a structure embodying the principles thereof, whatI claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sheet metal body for automobiles, the combination with a sheet metal bracket, of a tonneau section and a forward .body section, side sill members for each of said sections, the lower portion of said bracket being inclined forwardly and downwardly throughout substantially its entire extent and formed with an inturned flange, and the proximate ends of said'sill members being received, respectively, at the forward and rear portions of said bracket in the angle formed by said inturned flange and the body of the bracket and secured therein, whereby said sill members are vertically offset.

2. In a sheet metal body for automobiles,

a sheet metal post D bracket having a curved forward edge merging into a vertical edge at the top and being provided along said edges with an inturned flange, a tonneau panel having an inturned flange along a portion of its forward edge adapted to seat against the forward surface of the vertical portion of the inturned flange on the bracket, and adoor post fitting against said curved inturned flange of the bracket and the vertical inturned flange of the tonneau panel.

3. A post-D bracket made of a unitary stamping flanged inwardly at its bottom and front edges, the front edge flange terminating some distance: above the bottom flange to provide a way for the insertion of a sill extremity, the stamping having a wheel housing depression formed therein, the forward wall of which parallels the front edge flange, the greater portion of the outside surface of said bracket serving as outside surface of the body.

4. In a vehicle body, a post-D bracket stamping spanning the kick-up and flanged at its front edge to form an inwardly facing channel section, and at its lower edge with an inwardly extending flange forming with the body of the bracket an angle portion, the front edge flange terminating short of the bottom flange to permit the insertion of the extremity of a sill section, a rear sill section nested with the rear bottom angle portion-of'said bracket, and a tonneau panel secured to the rear edge of said bracket, the panel and bracket being depressed. to form together the complete wheel housing depression.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA. 

